to give tongue to - Glite Dictionary

Examples

During the meeting, he gave tongue to his concerns about the project.
Many poets have given tongue to the beauty of nature in their work.
She will give tongue to her thoughts during the meeting.
Why did he give tongue to his concerns?
He finally gave tongue to his feelings about the situation after weeks of silence.
The author gave tongue to the struggles of the working class in his latest novel.
In the debate, she gave tongue to her support for climate action passionately.

Synonyms

to say

vsto give tongue to

∞ 1.0

Speak words to show information or feelings

may include spoken or other audible articulation beyond words

to express

vsto give tongue to

∞ 2.3

To show ideas and feelings by words or actions

is focused specifically on spoken or sounded articulation

to utter

vsto give tongue to

107 2.9

To say something aloud

can include nonverbal sounds as well as deliberate articulation

to give voice

vsto give tongue to

15 4.3

To put thoughts or feelings into words

can be any voiced expression, not only stated feelings

to vocalize

vsto give tongue to

14 4.4

To use your voice to show your thoughts or feelings

is broader, covering any articulated idea or voiced sound

to verbalize

vsto give tongue to

US

9 4.8

To put thoughts or feelings into words

also covers making a sound without forming full words

Antonyms

to suppress

176 4.8

To stop public protest by force or by people in power

to silence

169 3.5

To stop someone from speaking or making noise

How Vocal

to proclaim

Formal

229 5.3

to speak out

220 3.4

to give tongue to

Archaic

8.5

to utter

107 2.9

to murmur

11 4.2

to be quiet

231 1.0

Surface Forms

give tongue to infinitive

giving tongue to present participle

gives tongue to third person singular

gave tongue to past

given tongue to past participle

Morphology

give + tongue + to

The constituents 'give' and 'tongue' cue the idea of 'giving speech' or 'voicing' something, and many languages and English collocations use 'tongue' metaphorically for speech, so learners who know the words get a strong clue. However, the construction is somewhat literary/rare and requires a metaphorical mapping from the body part to 'voice', so the precise verbal sense may not be fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

The phrase give tongue to comes from old hunting: when hunting dogs began to bark they would give tongue, making a loud sound to show they had found the prey. So when someone gives tongue to a feeling, they 'speak out' or express it.